FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Apr 06, 2022

Nearly 3,000 new AmeriCorps members will meet public health needs of local communities and help rebuild the nation’s public health sector

WASHINGTON D.C. – AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced more than 80 grant awards to state and local organizations for Public Health AmeriCorps, a partnership to support the recruitment, training, and development of a new generation of public health leaders. The first-year grants, totaling more than $60 million, will allow Public Health AmeriCorps programs to recruit nearly 3,000 AmeriCorps members. 

Public Health AmeriCorps, which is supported by a five-year, $400 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act, will help meet public health needs of local communities by providing surge capacity and support while also creating pathways to public health-related careers. AmeriCorps members will serve communities by providing health education, supporting health-related research, assisting with testing and vaccination efforts and more. View a full list of opportunities on our website.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, AmeriCorps has established aid networks, supported vaccination efforts and provided food and resources to those in need,” said Michael D. Smith, AmeriCorps CEO. “Public Health AmeriCorps is a first of its kind response to the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social determinants of health. These new AmeriCorps members will add capacity to strained public health systems and build a career pathway for future public health leaders from underserved communities.”

While many of the grants awarded today fund initiatives focused on COVID-19 response, the program also will help communities address broader public health needs that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, including mental health. The program will build on expertise, best practices and lessons learned from existing CDC, AmeriCorps and other public health programs.

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for a more robust public health workforce,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. “We at CDC are committed to supporting efforts that build a strong and diverse workforce that can swiftly respond to and address public health challenges. Public Health AmeriCorps is an essential component of the critical effort to build our nation’s next generation of public health leaders.”

Public Health AmeriCorps is an example of a whole of government approach to address our nation’s most pressing challenges. The partnership between AmeriCorps and the CDC leverages the expertise of both agencies, capitalizing on AmeriCorps’ experience managing some of the most prominent public service and workforce development programs in the nation while benefitting from CDC’s technical expertise as the country’s leading public health agency. 

The Public Health AmeriCorps comes as part of a larger $7 billion investment in the public health workforce announced by the Biden-Harris Administration. The next Public Health AmeriCorps federal funding opportunity is expected to be released in Fall 2022.

AmeriCorps continues to invest in the nation’s COVID-19 recovery. With existing programs in more than 40,000 locations across the country, AmeriCorps is uniquely positioned to bolster community response efforts. For the past two years, thousands of AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers across all 50 states and U.S. territories have continued their service, quickly adapting to meet the changing needs caused by the pandemic and have provided vital support, community response, and recovery efforts, providing support to more than 12 million Americans, including 2.5 million people at vaccination sites.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency invests more than $800 million in grants for local nonprofit, community, tribal, and state organizations; places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.